Thread: Cruise Control Question

I don't know of any vehicles that actually use the ECU as part of the CC.On a cavalier it would be pretty easy to control the CC.Method 1- there is a CC module under your hood(it has a cable going to the throttle plate), it gets a speed signal from the speed sensor(blue wire at the module if I remember).The speed sensor puts out 4000 pulses per mile, just intercept the signal and adjust it higher or lower.Method 2(easiest)-Use the Set ACC and the Coast wires coming from the switch.When you want it to accelerate pulse the SET ACC wire, when you want it to deaccelerate pulse the coast wire..Either of these could easily be accomplished with minor software and the parallel port(buffered with some transistors).Or with the serial port buffered by a microcontroller with the appropriate firmware.You could use the speed sensor/abs sensor or OBD/OBDII(or a GPS) to get the speed signal.These methods should work on all vehicles regardless of what controls the CC.I can probably help if anyone wants to do this.

Erm, 1 problem with my car..... I don't have factory cruise control. But I do think that GM builds thier cars all the same and then if you don't want something they just cover it with a piece of plastic. Maybe I will save this project for down the road. Anyone else can and should feel welcome to take my idea :-D

Originally Posted by owenjh

That is a good idea, I always wanted a radar that detects how fast people are going, then give the local police departments the reports on their units. GPS speed would be nice but I would find it annoying. Would be good if you had a kid, you could see how fast they were going and log it to a file and make sure they weren't racing :-D

You can buy radar guns on ebay.

Originally Posted by owenjh

That is a good idea, I always wanted a radar that detects how fast people are going, then give the local police departments the reports on their units.

Hello big brother indeed. I shouldn't even post this - I'll probably get pulled over for speeding tonight.


I'm baffled (yes, baffled). Are you a cop? I'm just trying to figure out

a) why you'd want to do that
b) why you'd want to do that
c) how that information will be useful
d) why you'd want to do that

I don't know about you, but I have enough going on to not worry about how fast every person around me is driving. Do you listen to people's phone conversations on a scanner all night and make a log of that too?

Creating a log and then transmitting the information to police? I don't really know what to think of that - other than it's ridiculous.

MD

He said "then give the local police departments the reports on their units." As in, he'd clock everyone, but report to the cops how fast he's found cop cars going.

It'd make a good point actually.. cops are supposed to have lights on when breaking traffic laws, and lights with siren if they're at an intersection. Often I see cops speeding like 60 in a 25 with no lights on or anything.

I have just fitted cruise control to my Vauxhall Corsa. It had to be an aftermarket cruise because the ecu is for the 1.2 and not the 1.4 and above, other wise would have been a dodle and a damn lot cheaper too.

On my Volkswagen Golf, it was just a case of getting the stalk ordered from the local dealer and a wiring diagram, soldering a few connectors on to the main ecu loom, and taking it down to the dealer for programming in the ecu, altogether cost me about £75.

In my Corsa is wasn’t so easy, as I said it had to be aftermarket which is not so straight forward, especially with the drive by wire thing. I had to but a kit that took the speed signal from the main speed wire that goes to the radio, and air bag controller. It then controlled an electric servo with a cable on which I attached to a homebrew bracket on the accelerator pedal it self. So it simulates you pushing your foot down on the pedal, was strange at first to feel the pedal moving on its own but you get used to it after a bit.

Now to the point, Wizard mentioned about controlling his cruise control to change the speed automatically at set points. The cruise control that I fitted had an extra command module. It had three memory buttons on it. When I press button 1 it goes to 30mph, button 2 50mph and 3 is set to 70mph. When I go from the dual carriageway, with cruise set to 50, I press button 3 and the car slowly accelerates to 70mph. What I was thinking of was getting a relay card to simulate the button push. Not sure about the monitoring the GPS but maybe somebody on here knows how to under stand the NEMA data from the serial port of a GPS mouse. When I look at the data coming in of mine I don’t think it would be too hard. Set 2 limits for each x and y axis and that should be it think, send the command to the relay module.


Was just a quick though anyway.


Mik

About the car automatically going the limit for the road; I remember reading somewhere that the concept is already in the works...Someone is working on a digital speed map of the UK (I think I read this on slashdot)...and eventually outfitting new cars with quasi-governors that will do something when you are travelling over the limit for a particular road; I think they beeped a bunch and vibrated the gas pedal, but I dont remember, as it was a couple of weeks ago...

Originally Posted by Mik

Now to the point, Wizard mentioned about controlling his cruise control to change the speed automatically at set points. The cruise control that I fitted had an extra command module. It had three memory buttons on it. When I press button 1 it goes to 30mph, button 2 50mph and 3 is set to 70mph. When I go from the dual carriageway, with cruise set to 50, I press button 3 and the car slowly accelerates to 70mph. What I was thinking of was getting a relay card to simulate the button push. Not sure about the monitoring the GPS but maybe somebody on here knows how to under stand the NEMA data from the serial port of a GPS mouse. When I look at the data coming in of mine I don’t think it would be too hard. Set 2 limits for each x and y axis and that should be it think, send the command to the relay module.


Was just a quick though anyway.


Mik

Could Use the NEMA data to set the parts where you automatically want to go faster, but to be honest, this would have to be more of a concept then an everyday driver.... It would be nice to have it when I hit the on ramp location tracked from my GPS to bump my car up to 65mph and then keep it that speed. Then I could take my feet off and do other things with them on the way to work.
One idea is to have a foot spa or foot massager. I would only need some sensors on the front of the car to slam on the brakes when I get to close to another car too, ohh this is getting good :-)

Originally Posted by Banderon

He said "then give the local police departments the reports on their units." As in, he'd clock everyone, but report to the cops how fast he's found cop cars going.

It'd make a good point actually.. cops are supposed to have lights on when breaking traffic laws, and lights with siren if they're at an intersection. Often I see cops speeding like 60 in a 25 with no lights on or anything.

No, I would just clock the cops nobody else, its the police's job to clock everybody else :-D

Are the radar guns you buy from e-bay illegal? I would love to have one to set people who sit in the left lane going slow's radar alert on so that they slow down thinking there is a police officer is ahead and I can get around them :-P

Deadweasle.
'Saw your old post.
Thought you might learning that we are building a gps-cruisecontrol. We need help somehow in creating a big database of US speedlimit signs. Please help.
www.gpscruise.com

-jim